Hahn addresses domestic violence questions
Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Rob Hahn says he was wrong when he made verbal and physical threats against his ex-wife last year.
Hahn held a news conference today to respond to media reports about the incident, and get try to get beyond an issue that could derail his third-party campaign before the August 10 primary. He doesn't dispute court records that describe an incident of domestic violence at his St. Paul home in March 2009. Hahn's wife Megan was granted a restraining order that remains in effect. The marriage ended last year after 16 years. Hahn says he was caught up of the emotional rollercoaster of a divorce and made a one-time mistake. He says voters should not worry about a similar outburst if he's elected governor.
"If this were a repeated process, and I had a record of this, or if it had occurred on a number of occasions, then yes, maybe," Hahn said. "This was a one-time isolated incident. And I think if anything, the voters should appreciate the fact that I have taken this head on, admitted my mistake, learned from it and now use it as part of my platform. And I haven't shied away from it as all."
Hahn, who runs a small publishing business, says he's never tried to hide the incident. He says he brought it up four months ago during a State Capitol event where he outlined his proposal for family law reform.
City Pages reports that Hahn was recently shopping the story.
Hahn says he was not shopping it.
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